Soldier's Powerful Video Letter to Parents Shows the Real Story of Service (WATCH)

Spin the dial on talk radio, and at any given moment you'll probably find half a dozen pundits willing to put in their two cents about the military and what our brave men and women do every day. I suppose one could say that it's a good thing that people keep our military in mind, especially as the holidays approach and countless servicemen and women are faced with spending them far from home, in the line of duty.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get a little sick of hearing what so-and-so thinks of life in the military. What about the soldiers who are living it? What do they think? Well, thanks to a video called "War Through the Eye of a Soldier," now we know.

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The soldier in question is a man named Tom Abood, an Australian, and as a camera on his person catches the scenes in the Middle East that he sees on a daily basis, he reads out a letter to his mom and dad who are, naturally, back in Australia. But as an American, it's hard not to be struck by his story.

Not only do the Australians fight alongside us as our allies, but there's a universality to his message. His story is not unlike that of hundreds of thousands of US troops. Take a listen (warning: strong language):

It's a powerful look at what it means to fight for something you believe is good and right. As Abood said:

I'm not fighting because I hate what's in front of me. I'm fighting because I love what I left behind.

What they leave behind, as we know, is a plenty. Homes. Families. Their day-to-day routines. So-called "normal" life.

Around this time of year, the local TV stations always slip messages from our troops in between the commercials. The servicemen and women who are front and center in each little message are always upbeat, but they're a sad reminder that war never takes a holiday. And neither does a soldier ...